India stands for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and supports freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, said defence minister Rajnath Singh at a multilateral forum being attended by his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on Wednesday.

In a virtual address at the Asean defence ministersplus meeting, Singh said maritime security challenges were an area of concern for India. “The sea lanes of communication are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

“In this regard, developments in the South China Sea have attracted attention in the region and beyond. India supports freedom of navigation, overflight, and unimpeded commerce in these international waterways,” he added.

India hopes that the ‘code of conduct’ negotiations will lead to outcomes that are in keeping with international law, including the UNCLOS, and do not prejudice the legitimate rights and interests of nations that are not party to these discussions, he said.

China has been flexing its muscles and showing aggressive behaviour in territorial disputes in the South China Sea over the last few years, which has led to heightened tensions with its neighbours as well as the US. US secretary of defence Llyod Austin was also part of the Asean virtual meet on Wednesday, with its eight dialogue partners — India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.

Taking a swipe at Pakistan as well, Singh said terrorism and radicalisation are the gravest threats to peace and security that the world is facing today. “India shares global concerns about terrorism and believes that in an era when networking amongst terrorists is reaching alarming proportions, only through collective cooperation can the terror organisations and their networks be fully disrupted, the perpetrators identified and held accountable,” he said.

“Strong measures be undertaken against those who encourage, support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists. As a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), India remains committed to combat financing of terrorism,” he added. India’s engagement with the south east Asian region, of which Asean has been a primary component, is based on its ‘Act East Policy’.
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